Princesses and Knights?

The book accompanying the deck reads, paraphrased:

Knights mean the coming or going of a matter in accordance with the direction the Knight faces.

Princesses show ideas, thoughts, or opinions related to the subject.

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This interpretation of these two court cards baffles me, especially when they show in relation to a question or position in a spread. For example, if a Knight appears in the "outcome" position, does it mean that the outcome is related to a man, or that a matter will come or leave?

That is just an example, however. What I am asking is for your own interpretations of what our little white book is trying to tell us, and how I may best incorporate that into my readings.

- V.

Hi

The LWB is very vague and brief.

You could try the 'book of Thoth' and read what Crowley himself hadto say on the court cards.

Then you could try some of the other books that tell you what Crowley meant by what he said!

I find court cards difficult myself.
Even more so if you only have the LWB to go by!

For example, if a Knight appears in the "outcome" position, does it mean that the outcome is related to a man, or that a matter will come or leave?

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It's never always one or the other. Court cards can roughly depict diverse types of men and women as the Book of Thoth suggests. But, according to some who are inclined towards a Jungian interpretation, they can also be aspects of the querent's personality. It depends on what intuitively speaks to you within the context of a particular reading.

What I am asking is for your own interpretations of what our little white book is trying to tell us, and how I may best incorporate that into my readings.

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As far as understanding the Thoth Court Cards are concerned, I recommend investigating the following:

1. An understanding of YHVH and how each royal status is a pictorial representation of the powers associated with a particular letter (Yod - Knight | He - Queen | Vau - Prince | He - Princess). It will help you determine the phase of existence that energy is currently expressing itself in.

2. How those powers described above are colored by the element of a particular suit. The element will help you determine what type of energy is being expressed.

3. An understanding of the Court Cycle and how it perpetuates itself (especially in regard to the Princess). You'll be able to see how this energy will recycle itself.

4. The Zodiac and each card's placement on the wheel. You'll notice that the cards don't fall on the wheel where you'd normally expect them. In other words, the Knight of Wands is not Aries. It's the last decan of Scorpio and the first two of Sagitarius. There's a system to it. Learn the system and you'll be able to figure out where the Knights, Queens and Princes fall on the wheel without having to memorize them. This will help you get better insight from an astrological viewpoint because you can see if the characteristics of a particular sign add more detail to what the Court Card signifies.

5. An understanding of where each royal status falls on the Tree of Life. You will have a pictorial representation of where these energies depicted by the Court Cards occur along the path to manifestation and ultimate reabsorption.

I always liked the names, lotus of the palace of air and all that.

But then I'm a sucker for romantic names.

The yod he vau he thing is a bit of a cow to get your head around. It's like a dance, as soon as one person has stepped into one place they have stepped out into another. A contantly moving cycle.

To be honest, although I know all this stuff, I still find the courts difficult and if loads turn up in a reading I groan.
When at a loss I return to the most basic and simplest interpretations. A dark man, a bitter, lonley woman. Person bringing news. All the really cliched meanings.

Or aspects of the querent. It depends on where the card appears in a spread.

The yod he vau he thing is a bit of a cow to get your head around. It's like a dance, as soon as one person has stepped into one place they have stepped out into another. A constantly moving cycle.

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I agree. It is a perpetual cycle and distinguishing one from the other can be very challenging.

To be honest, although I know all this stuff, I still find the courts difficult and if loads turn up in a reading I groan.

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I would say that even with this knowledge, the Court cards are difficult for anyone, myself included. They represent a point in the expression of energy where things are very mixed up and in constant flux.

Indeed, everyone needs to resort to what the intuition tells them when reading the cards. For me, these overlying systems are a starting point for my intuitive process. The Court cards may be difficult to interpret but when I apply these principles in a spread, they certainly aren't lacking in content.